The International Journal of Communication (IJoC), the groundbreaking online, multimedia, academic journal launched at USC Annenberg in 2007 by preeminent scholars Manuel Castells and Larry Gross, is beginning an exciting new chapter. Having served as the journal’s editor since its founding, Gross will be succeeded by Silvio Waisbord, professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University, as editor of IJoC, which will remain housed at USC Annenberg.
IJoC is among the first to deliver academic journal content online free of charge, upholding the highest standards of peer review, and engaging established and emerging scholars from anywhere in the world. With a commitment to excellence in communication and media scholarship, the journal has published innovative and influential articles that have charted new courses across multiple fields of study. According to the latest statistics from Google Scholar, IJoC ranks seventh among all humanities, literature & arts journals, and eighth among communication journals with over 140,000 registered readers around the globe.
“Professor Gross’ remarkable leadership of IJoC has been pivotal in advancing USC Annenberg’s reputation as one of the top communication schools in the world. His contributions to the field and its disciplines extend far beyond our USC Annenberg community,” said USC Annenberg Dean Willow Bay. “With great excitement about IJoC's future, we welcome Professor Waisbord whose expertise and enthusiasm will help continue a bold and vital dissemination of research and scholarship in our fields.”
Gross is now professor emeritus, having retired last month after 55 years of teaching and scholarship, first at University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication and then at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, which he joined in 2003. A pioneering scholar in the areas of LGBT studies, media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross has provided two decades of important leadership to the USC Annenberg, including serving as the school’s vice dean and director of the School of Communication. In addition to his role as IJoC’s editor, he has also held editorial roles for 19 journals and is a past president and fellow of the International Communication Association.
”Launching IJoC was an expression of confidence in the willingness and ability of the community of scholars to forge our own destiny, and that confidence has been fully confirmed,” Gross said. “The authors who entrusted their work to us, the colleagues who contributed the essential but anonymous labor of reviewing, the skilled staff and editorial assistants, and the generous support of the USC Annenberg School made our remarkable success possible.”
Waisbord, president-elect of the International Communication Association, is the author and editor of 18 books and articles on journalism, politics, media and communication for social change. He previously served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Communication and International Journal of Press/Politics.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve as editor of IJoC, and succeed Larry Gross, who has done a tremendous job with the journal. Big shoes to fill!,” Waisbord said. “I look forward to working with authors, reviewers, staff and colleagues in the next phase of an original, unique journal that continues to serve communication studies in many ways.”
Read Gross’ editorial, “Envoi: Looking Back with Pride and Looking Forward with Optimism,” and Waisbord’s “Passing the Conductor’s Baton: The Score Remains the Same” in IJoC’s latest volume.